Separate fact and fiction of how we catch a cold or the flu. Are there any myths or is there only one way?

Question

For example Mothers always told us growing up to do up our zippers of our coats during the winter or we'll catch our death or to put something on our feet if walking barefoot on cold floors.

I've always thought a cold or the flu was passed from person to person or perhaps touching an object someone who is sick has also touched. Today I'm experiencing a head cold and I've come into contact with someone who is sick as well as gone outside with just a sweater on a chilly day and walked barefoot on cold floors. Who or what is to blame for my sickness?

Answer 1

Influenza is a highly infectious disease that affects the respiratory (breathing) tract. It is also known as the flu or grippe. The disease is caused by a virus. When inhaled, the virus attacks cells in the upper part of the respiratory system and causes symptoms such as fatigue, fever and chills, a hacking cough, and body aches. Influenza can also lead to other, more serious infections



Influenza is caused by the transmission of a flu virus from an infected person to an uninfected person. The virus can be transmitted by sneezing, coughing, sharing of eating and drinking utensils, and direct contact.

Although, I live in the modern world and don't believe in folklore; I still do believe in the old ways. Because I see it happen to me several times. These are some of the horror stories but have a grain of truth in them. They say cover your head when you go out in the cold weather as bodt heat tends to excape from thehead. To avoid sudden changes in the body temperature including a hill. Try sleeping in the midst of a cold winter night in a drafty room or without heat. Or try sitting with your back towards the draft from an open window.
You hear about a lot of elderly people get stricken with pneumonia living in squalid apts without heat. Or dying fro heat exhaustion in nursing homes where the air conditioners broke down.


When you have a cold; a bowl of chicken bowl is vey good., Rest and fluids are important for colds, flu and for any illness for that matter. Also, try drinking a lot of water- to flush out your system and to hydrate yourself esp when you suffer from fevers. Avoid chills.

Cover your mouth when you sneeze. or cough.

More than anything the real and frequent mode of transmission. is by droplet contamination from common surface areas That is from hand -to -mouth contamination. That's why it's very impt to wash your hands.before and after eating and after going to the bathroom./restroom.

The main rationale that elderly people and children get frequesnt colds and flu is because of their weakened immune system.

More COLD facts:

.Myth: Vitamin C
A handful of vitamin C tablets a day keeps the doctor away.

Fact Vitamin C's reputation as a cold fighter originated with the late Nobel prize-winning scientist Linus Pauling, who advocated megadoses of the antioxidant. Pauling's recommendation, however, was based mostly on theory. Over the last 20 years, numerous studies have found no conclusive evidence that large doses stop the spread of colds. In fact, a recent report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences warned that high doses can cause diarrhea. Other studies found that too much vitamin C can skew the results of blood and urine tests.

Experts now believe that vitamin E may be the real immunity booster. Doses up to 200 IU (international units) have been shown to enhance immune function in the elderly, and scientists speculate that E can similarly help younger adults. At Tufts University, in Boston, researchers are studying whether daily E supplements can prevent respiratory infections in the elderly.


Myth: Out in the cold
Go out in the cold without your coat on or with wet hair, and you're sure to get sick.

Fact While extreme exposure to the cold weather outside can make you sick, it's spending more time indoors to escape the frigid temperatures that raises the risk of germs spreading. Also, while colds occur year-round, the viruses that cause them thrive when there's less humidity. Cold weather may also dry out nasal passages, creating a more hospitable environment for infection.

Flu Shots and Zinc
Myth: Flu shots
Get a flu shot and you'll be safe from the bug for the year.

Fact The influenza vaccine provides the best insurance against contracting the flu, but it's no guarantee: studies in healthy young adults show it fails to protect up to 30 percent of the time. Its effectiveness varies because influenza viruses are constantly mutating, so vaccine manufacturers working nine months in advance are not always able to perfectly match the strains that will circulate in the U.S. during the December to March flu season.

Still, the flu shot is recommended for people age 50 and older, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses. Though the vaccine may be less effective in the elderly or people whose health is otherwise compromised, it helps prevent serious complications for those who do get infected. But remember -- it takes two weeks for the body to build immunity.


Chicken Soup and OTC Remedies
Myth: Chicken soup
Grandma's chicken soup cures colds.

Fact Soup can't stop a virus, but it can ease congestion, soothe the throat, and keep you hydrated, lessening chances of secondary bacterial infections. Hot tea and other warm liquids work just as well. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol.



Myth: OTC remedies
Cold and flu relief is just a trip to the drugstore away.

Fact There's no perfect over-the-counter remedy. Antihistamines and cough suppressants bring temporary relief but often produce side effects such as drowsiness and gastrointestinal upsets. Nasal decongestants can lead to recurring stuffiness. Aspirin can ease achiness, but it may actually increase nasal congestion in adults.

Answer 2

I'm always barefoot including in the winter in snow, and I'm hardly ever sick, and I used to be coughing and sneezing all winter before I went barefoot regularly. Yet I have missed just two days of work in the past ten years, while I often spent the entire day outside, barefoot. Even a minor cough is rare now.

What happens when you catch a cold is, you come into contact with a virus or a bacteria that causes an illness. You come into contact with stuff like this *all the time*, some diseases are more aggressive and infectious than others, but you certainly don't get sick every time you come into contact with someone who's carrying something. Then, your immune system will attack the 'invaders', and its success basically depends on several things.

1. The strength of the immune system. Just like any part of your body, if it is used too little, it won't be very strong, it needs a little upkeep and 'training'. It is basically GOOD to come into contact with some bacteria and other 'foreign bodies', because that stimulates the body to keep the immune system active.
2. The strength of the infection. Some bacteria and viruses are very nasty, if you come into contact with them they are likely to make you sick, even if you were strong and healthy. Others are less aggressive.
3. Strenuous activity. Your immune system does need energy to work, and when your body is using the energy elsewhere, it has less to spend on fighting intruders. If you are over-stressed, don't get enough sleep, or are fighting off an infection already, or anything like that, you may be more susceptible to colds. Of course this does not mean *all* strain is bad; being tired may give a disease the edge, but that doesn't mean 'activity' or even strenuous activity like exercise, is 'bad'. Activity is good, only too much of it, or bad timing with other strains, can tip the scales the wrong way.
5. Your *core* temperature. I always keep my body warm even if my feet are bare. The body is most concerned with keeping its core warm -head & upper body. That's where all your vital organs are. It is this *core* temperature that is important in whether you'll be more susceptible to colds or not. In your case, just wearing a sweater may've been a factor; the cold floor probably wasn't. They've researched this a couple years ago; the researchers chilled test subjects by immersing their feet in cold water, but measured their body temperature at the tip of their noses. When their *body* temperature had dropped, they were more likely to catch a cold, because this stressed their entire body & immune systems. Unfortunately, many newspapers/news sites have reported about this same research placing much more emphasis on the feet, like Yahoo's: 'Chilly feet can prompt common cold symptoms'. However that is *not* the correct conclusion. From more elaborate articles it was very clear that these sites have mixed up the method used (cold feet) & the actual effect (cold core temperature/nose). So wrapping up warm does help, but wrap up the right parts of your body :)

Answer 3

Cold temperatures actually weaken the immune system, since your body is focusing on staying warm so you can live. Colds and flu are passed through saliva and nose tissues, as you say here. I'd say it is the combination of factors that caused your head-cold. I got a head-cold by walking in the rain in a jacket and with an umbrella to a beauty shop appointment (I was in college and didn't have a car). I made my appointment, but missed over a week of classes with a horrible sinus infection afterward. The contributing factors were: wet clothes and shoes, the coldness of the air conditioned shop, the chemicals in the perm I was getting, and having generally bad health.

As in all things, just because circumstances might be ideal for getting sick, sometimes our body can fight it off. But then there are times when our immune system can't handle it all and so it ends up being overwhelmed.

Mostly it depends on who you talk to about the cold theory. I believe some people have naturally weak immune systems (I do happen to have an auto-immune disorder) and being in the cold after being exposed to "germs" pushes their system over the edge and they get sick. Then there are people with amazing immune systems that seem never to get sick. (My husband, for one.) Even after being outside on a cold day with no jacket or hat.

There are really two sides to the argument about "cold" and "illness". I've got some links below to a couple theories for you.

Answer 4

Catching a cold is easier than we think. Of course going outside without proper dress for the weather can chill your body and you could get hypothermia, but not a cold. A cold is contracted by person to person contact. In an office if someone has the virus and is sneezing or blowing their nose, etc. and they don't wash their hands properly, they touch a phone, pc, or coffee pot, etc. and you follow behind and unsuspectingly touch the object...then you touch your eye, mouth, or nose, the virus is transmitted through any mucous membrane as they are moist and just the right area to incubate...especially if you are run down...not eating properly, not getting enough sleep, vitamins, etc. OR a much more common way is from a shopping cart handle in a supermarket OR from a device used in a drive-thru bank (the plastic cubicle you send to the teller) is ONE of the MOST germ ridden objects you ever want to touch...but we all do and it just boils down to being aware and taking precautions to protect yourself as much as humanly possible.

Answer 5

Getting cold is a stress. Stress affects the immune system and makes it easier for a flu or cold virus to overcome the body defenses. When the immune system is suppressed by anything it makes any infection easier to come down with. Most times a cold is passed by shaking hands and then rubbing the eyes and nose. Viruses do not usually live too long on inanimate objects and you have to come directly into contact by bodily fluids some way. It can be airborn and picked up by someone coughing and sneezing but not as easily as simply not washing your hands enough.

Strengthening your immune system can also help you get over your cold faster. I cannot prescribe of course but what helps me cut the time of a cold or flu in half and avoid secondary infections is large doses of Vitamin C, plus capsules of echinaesia and Goldenseal, plus cayanne pepper capsules which improves many of the symptoms.

Answer 6

Going out without a sweater and walking barefoot on a cold floor won't directly make you sick. It does, however, make your body be directed to that part and warm it up, leaving your immune system weak and more sustainable to getting sick because your body is too busy working to keep your body temperature. It is probably because you didn't wear a sweater, then came into contact with a sick person, making you sick.

Answer 7

To put it plain and simple....colds and the flu are viruses and we catch the virus from others who are infected with them. Being exposed to the cold weather, cold floors, etc. has absolutely NOTHING to do with it. However, if we do catch a cold or the flu cold weather tends to aggravate it by making our mucous membranes dry and leading to more inflammation. If you have the cold or flu you caught it from someone else or from airborne particles. When I go in stores I ALWAYS wipe down the shopping carts with antiviral/antibacterial wipes. You never know who touched that handle on the carts or what they had before you touch it. They sneeze, they wipe their noses, they get small amounts (even microscopic) of saliva or nasal secretions on their hands and then touch the carts and PRESTO...you're the next person to get the virus. Also, don't EVER put food items in the seat of the shopping cart. Can you imagine how many infants have sat there with dirty diapers on...purses that have been put on the floor of a bathroom, etc.? Then you put your food there and if you don't wash it carefully...again....PRESTO....you're sick. We've all got to get these viruses and bacterial infections from time to time but with frequent handwashing, hygiene when it comes to sneezing, coughing, etc. by trying to prevent the spread of them, we will all be better off. Hope you feel better soon.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

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